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This September, Image will be publishing a new five issue mini-series from writer Jeff Parker (X-Men: First Class, Agents of Atlas) and artist Steve Lieber (Whiteout, Civil War: Frontline) with colors by Ron Chan that follows a female park ranger, Wesley Fischer on a quest to save her small town's Stillwater Cave from becoming a soulless tourist attraction. Unfortunately, her activism comes with a price, and Wesley soon finds herself on a rollercoaster of thrills, fighting for her life.
Issue #1 doesn't hit until September 23, but we got the chance to speak with the two creators, and they graciously provided us with a bit of insight as to how the project came together, and just what it means to them.
CraveOnline: I grew up in a small town that loves to bicker over what "city-folk" might consider fairly trivial, much like preserving the caves in Underground. Where did the initial idea originate?
Steve Lieber: That element of the story was all Parker.
Jeff Parker: And now I can't remember. But I think it was that I wanted some real human elements as the backdrop for our story- it establishes right off the bat that there are no clear good guys or bad guys. Our lead Wesley is very sincere and well-meaning in her advocacy for the Stillwater Cave, but it's hard to tell people in need that they can't use their local resources to help themselves in dire times.
CraveOnline: With you guys both being a part of Periscope, is it easier to find mutual ground in a collaboration? Are you both pretty much on the same page, creatively?
Parker: I think so.
Lieber: Absolutely. Jeff, for instance thinks stories should be entertaining, while I'm kind of on the fence about that. (Laughs)
Parker: We're both always appalled at what some comics try to pass of as entertainment. Really, I think many don't even consider entertaining or being intriguing as the goal, they seem to only rise to "maybe this will sell" or "here's something I've seen before, let's do that." We also share a hatred of scripts that don't seem to be written to be drawn, that seem to want to be TV. You have to work to the strengths of the medium.
Lieber: Yeah. And my goal is always, ALWAYS, to tell the writer's story. Doing that with a writer who's in the same room, who I agree with on the goals and tone of the material, and who can draw? That's a breeze.
CraveOnline: Jeff, what do you find to be most appealing about doing creator-owned material as opposed to work for DC or Marvel? Do you find it easier to understand the inner-workings of your own characters?
Parker: First, I don't have to compete with reader's preconceptions of how a character should be depicted, I get to start fresh. Also no troublesome or convoluted continuity to have to wrangle before I can get started. And yes, I can build a character on something I know from life, so he or she rings true. Wesley Fischer is not going to suddenly have a different personality because of the return of the Phoenix force.
